Monokini
RussiaBiography of Monokini
Monokini is a Russian disco project that can confidently be considered the number one star of "Russian disco." The project was inspired by the famous producer Maxim Fadeev. Disco is making a comeback, including in Russia, as evidenced by the constant rotations of the music video "Sitting on the Clouds" by the young and unrivaled Monokini project on Russian music channels. The main composer and arranger of the project is Artem, the younger brother of the maestro Maxim Fadeev, who has been in love with this style since childhood. Previously, Artem had only performed auxiliary functions in his work with Maxim, starting from assistant sound engineer and ending with computer programming. Now, his debut has amazed with its sophisticated arrangements and extraordinary melodiousness. Artem has created a sound of eternal joy, an image of early autumn when it is still warm, the walk is unbelievably light, colors are vibrant, and love is carefree without any questions. It is the youthful disco of the early days when leaves fall and it is so easy to dance on the sky's hands.
The highlight of Monokini is the young and slender vocalist Mona, whose stunning appearance evokes associations with Jennifer Lopez. The recipe for discovering this young talent was surprisingly simple. In the creative depths of the brotherly tandem, the idea of a disco project with a female vocalist was born. Then, DJ from the Total group, Anya Kornilova, showed the brothers photos and recordings of several singing girls from their hometown of Volgograd. "Out of all the possible candidates, we chose Mona because we felt that extraordinary sincerity in her, which people need today," explains Maxim. Despite her young age, Mona is a multifaceted personality. She enjoys shooting firearms, knows about karting, and draws comics. Mona completed seven years of piano lessons at the Volgograd Music School. At that time, she loved playing Tchaikovsky's "The Seasons" and Mozart's sonatas the most. Currently, she is captivated by the music of Garbage, Laika, and Oil Plant. But her favorite album is still Madonna's "Music." "When I was in school, house music was already in fashion," Mona recalls. "That's why I immediately perceived disco as a kind of romantic retro."
Debut Album
Although about 80% of the musical material of Monokini's debut album was written by Artem, his older brother also participated in the work, playing the role of a patron, consultant, and assistant at the same time. "I am very happy that our project Monokini was produced by Maxim Fadeev," says Mona. "And the fact that the company ELF took on the development of this project means that it will not go unnoticed. I am also glad that I had the opportunity to work with composer Artem Fadeev, who writes truly extraordinary music."
Artem and Mona recorded 10 tracks for Monokini's debut album in Maxim Fadeev's studio in Prague. The leitmotif of the album is a light romantic flair, which is adequately conveyed by the names of the compositions: "Reach for the Sun," "See You on the Star," "Dance at Dawn," and "Sitting on the Clouds." The choice for the debut video clip of the project fell on the last one. The already mentioned music video "Sitting on the Clouds," where Mona dances in the style of Paula Abdul in a duet with a funny animated rabbit, was made by the Ufa studio "Muha," which Maxim Fadeev constantly collaborates with. It was him who came up with the idea of introducing a long-eared beast with a cigar in his mouth into the video sequence. The clip's cinematographer was the famous camera virtuoso Max Osadchy. Another video was shot by "Muha" in Prague for the second composition of Monokini's debut album, titled "Reach for the Sun." Interestingly, despite the song's title, the shooting took place deep at night, but the warmth and power of this melody are unlikely to allow the viewer to feel that. Another clip, titled "See You on the Star," was also filmed in Prague, and the names of the cinematographer and director are kept secret. "See You on the Star" is my favorite song on the album," says Mona. "I immediately felt that it was mine, close to me. The most important words for me in this song are 'Give me light, because I've gotten used to it.' I can sign under them; it really represents my image."
Monokini on Stage
Apart from the charismatic vocalist Mona, Monokini's live version consists of two other members. These include the dark-skinned dancer and backing vocalist Jackson Pierre, as well as DJ A-Ton. Interestingly, the flexible and panther-like Pierre initially danced with Mona during the shooting of "Sitting on the Clouds," and then the animated Fadeev rabbit faithfully copied the dancer's stylish moves. "Jackson is a cheerful guy and a very good dancer," says A-Ton. "I say this because I understand dance; I have been professionally engaged in breakdancing for a long time. It was my job. Interestingly, I lived in Volgograd, just like Mona, but I met her in Moscow. It all started like this: one day, my friend and I went online and saw that Maxim Fadeev was looking for a scratch DJ for his new project. And I was exactly a scratch DJ. For the sake of curiosity, I sent my email, and just two days later, I received a reply: come to Moscow, we will audition you..."
The group has currently performed at the City Day and at a party for the "OM" magazine, as well as filmed for the program VIP Kapriz on MTV.
Artem Fadeev remains behind the scenes as the musical nerve of the project, but it is he who creates the musical material of Monokini's romantic disco. "I love this style because it is gentle and warm in its essence," says Artem. "It may seem funny, but I literally absorbed this music while sitting in a stroller. I listened to ABBA, Boney M, and many other representatives of this style. When our mother went to work, she left 4-year-old Tima at home with Maxim, who was already quite grown up. And he, ignoring my desires and whims, turned the disco music on full blast, and I had to listen to that noise. I don't remember if I liked it then or not, but I can say with certainty that it has influenced me now. Maxim also tried to teach me to play the drums, and in the absence of drums, we had to use aluminum pots and spoons. The louder I banged, the louder he turned the music on. It's just one small, funny detail from my childhood. Under this music, I always imagined speeding cars, happy people somewhere in the south, by the sea... In general, the life I wanted to live myself. And now, our motto with Monokini is the sun, speed, and ecstasy!"
"Artem worked with me for many years," says Maxim Fadeev. "He always had the gift of performing some technical functions: computers, consoles, sound engineering—in short, everything related to sound. But I never imagined that he had another gift for composition and arrangement. Artem is very melodic and distinguishes himself from what I do, and that's great. Let's see what he will do next. Good luck, Tyoma!"
